Stolen
The Sahrawi are native peoples of the Western Sahara who have been involved in a political struggle for control of the nation since it was invaded by Morocco in the 1970s. Most of the Sahrawi are in exile, and one such refugee is Faitim Sellami, who lives in a camp for displaced persons in Algeria. Filmmakers Violeta Ayala and Daniel Fallshaw originally set out to tell a true-life story of Sahrawi rights by documenting a meeting between Sellami and her mother in Algeria -- the first time the two had seen one another in 30 years. But while shooting footage of Sellami, they become aware of an intrusive presence -- Deido, an elderly white Arab woman whom Sellami's teenage daughter claims is her grandmother. Research by the filmmakers suggested another, more troubling scenario; slavery was once common in the Western Sahara, and Sellami's family may once have been the property of Deido's family. Is Sellami a victim of a slave trade that is still going on in this part of the world? Stolen is a documentary that examines the troubled history of the Sahrawi people, the legacy of slavery in the Western Sahara, and what can be done in parts of the world where it is still practiced in defiance of the law. Stolen was an official selection at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. more..
Director: Dan Fallshaw
Starring: Moneesha Barrett